Genesis 25:1-18
25 Abraham had taken another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian,Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan was the father of Sheba and Dedan; the descendants of Dedan were the Ashurites, the Letushites and the Leummites. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanok, Abida and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
5 Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
7 Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. 8 Then Abraham breathed his last and died at a good old age, an old man and full of years; and he was gathered to his people. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, 10 the field Abraham had bought from the Hittites.[a] There Abraham was buried with his wife Sarah. 11 After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
Ishmael’s Sons
12 This is the account of the family line of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s slave, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham.
13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa,15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the eastern border of Egypt, as you go toward Ashur. And they lived in hostility toward[b] all the tribes related to them.
Abraham lived a long life and died an old age. As I reflect on his life that we have studied together over the last few months, I am left with mixed feelings. On the one hand he had incredible faith and fear of God. On the other hand he made some terrible decisions, he was afraid of other people and he had children with other women. His life finishes with these words:
Abraham left everything he owned to Isaac. 6 But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east.
East is symbolic in the Bible of moving away from God’s blessings. Abraham had to remove his other children from the land in order to protect his son Ishmael. Then we learn that Ishamael’s descendants ‘lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.’
This all points towards the lesson: beware of counterfeit callings. A counterfeit calling will always be a threat to the true blessings that God has for you.
What do I mean by a counterfeit calling? It is a shortcut or an easy way to receive what you want without needing to be obedient to God. It is doing the will of God but not in the way of God. It leads you to the right destination but with the wrong fruit.
When Jesus went into the wilderness, he had a mission from God and yet he was tempted with other ways that he could fulfil it. He could turn bread to stones and have provision whenever he needed. He could call an army of angels to fight for him in battle. He could serve the devil and be given authority over the whole world. Each was tempting for Jesus and yet he knew that none would achieve what he was called to do. The way for Jesus involved picking up his cross and denying himself.
The key question is not simply is this the right but is this the right way to go about it? I may be in the right in this conversation but am I losing because of my approach? I may be in the right ministry or job but am I going about it in a way that trusts and honours God to bring the fruit? Counterfeit victories are always a threat to the fruit that GOd really wants to see in your life.
